


City Limits

by SlashIsLife



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Talking, minor fluff, nothing actually happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-09 20:38:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20516087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlashIsLife/pseuds/SlashIsLife
Summary: Dick finds Jason one night.





	City Limits

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Hamster's song. Great song!

‘Good work you have done here.’ Dick says with a whistle, perching on the beam.

This warehouse is Jason’s most recent gathering location for his gang of drug lords and smugglers. He still could not get every criminal in line, but he certainly has a handful of them in his pocket. Organized crime in Gotham is now at a barely manageable rate, Jason would like to think.

He has just dismissed a meeting. Right after the last goons close the door, he hears Dick’s comment.

‘What are you doing here?’ Rather than looking towards Dick, Jason gets up from his seat and starts packing.

‘What? Am I not allowed to visit my little brother?’ Dick’s tone is playful, feigned shock colors his voice.

Despite with his helmet on, Jason rolls his eyes. ‘Last I checked, I’m hardly your favorite.’

‘You think too little of yourself.’ With a flip, Dick lands next to Jason. ‘I love all of you equally.’

It does not matter how many times Jason has heard it, it still stuns him a little that Dick could talk about love this easy. The worst part is that he knows Dick means every word.

He instinctively avoids Dick’s gaze, although Nightwing’s domino mask makes it impossible to see Dick’s eyes. ‘Just say it, what do you want?’ Although he asks it, he is also heading straight for the door.

‘Hey, hey, hey,’ Dick moves in front of him, blocking his path. ‘Slow down for one second, please?’ Jason stops in his track. Dick continues, ‘I just want to…’ He looks uneasy. Bowing his head, slight tension rolling off him like he isn’t sure how to phrase it. Jason waits. ‘…talk.’

Jason quickly scans Dick from head to toe, taking the first good look at him tonight. No obvious injuries, that’s a good sign. The way Dick just flips down also indicates that he doesn’t have any internal injuries. But just to be sure, Jason takes off his helmet and asks, ‘Are you hurt?’

Dick looks up. ‘No.’ He sounds surprised, then repeats with a small smile, ‘No, I’m fine.’

‘Okay.’ With his helmet in his right hand, and a duffle bag in his left, Jason eyes for the door. He begins walking past Dick while saying, ‘Then there is nothing I can help you with. Goodbye.’

Contrary to what Jason expects, Dick does not follow him. After Jason climbs on his bike, he finds Dick leaning on the doorframe of the warehouse, watching him with the same smile. Jason turns on his bike and hears Dick says softly, ‘Yeah, see ya, Jay.’

Jason has sped down the road for five minutes, then he turns his bike around.

He almost laughs out loud when he sees from afar, Dick standing at the exact same spot. He also tries to ignore the rush of warmth spilling from deep in his heart.

When he stops in front of Dick, he sees that the slight tug on Dick’s lips has grown into a full-blown smile, teeth and all. Dick’s arms are stretched towards him, ready to pull Jason into a hug. He says joyously, ‘Thank you for coming back, dear.’

Except that Jason doesn’t get up. He shifts forward, then tilts his head back. ‘Yeah, yeah, get on.’

Dick retrieves his arms smoothly, without the slightest sign of discomfort. He climbs on behind Jason. Unsure where to put his hands, he grasps the seat under him.

Jason turns on the engine, and says, ‘Give me your hands.’

Dick, confused, shows his hands palms up, one by each of Jason’s side. Then, Jason grabs both of his hands and pulls him. Whatever distance they had before is shortened to none. Dick’s mind reels back to all the exchanges between them tonight but finds no certain explanation for Jason’s action. Dick’s chest is flushed against Jason’s back. His hands are pulled into a tight circle around Jason’s waist. When Jason speaks, Dick could feel the vibrations from his body.

‘If I let your ass fall off my bike, every person who wears the bat-sign would hunt me down, I swear to you.’ He pauses, then adds, ‘But if you call me dear again, I will drown you myself in Gotham Harbor.’

The air in Gotham is stuffy, with a faint smell of seashore, rust, and doomed souls. It suffocates life and despises all efforts of improvement. Bludhaven is sometimes better, but not by much. Flying in the air is the only way for Dick to escape it. Now, as Gotham streets become a blur, Dick feels freed. He closes his eyes and forgets about crime rates, the League and all his responsibilities for a moment. He breathes in and smells Jason’s leather jacket, gunpowder and motor oil.

‘Where do you wanna go?’

The vibrations from Jason are reassuring, like the earth rumbling. A familiar frequency.

Anywhere, Dick thinks, but it comes out as, ‘Maybe one of your places?’

Silence stretches between them. Dick thinks maybe he has overstepped. Until Jason turns a corner and says, ‘Sure, boy wonder.’

**Author's Note:**

> Not much happens. Open to follow-up ideas!


End file.
